The Color of Grace

When our children were little, Jenny and I would on occasion spend time coloring with our kids. When they are the age of three or four, it is better not to guess what they are drawing on their page because you most often will be wrong and unintentionally offend their feelings. It's better to say, “Tell me what you’re drawing on your page.” Once you’ve said that, they could tell you,  “Well Dad this is a frog on a pond!” And if you tell them that it is an amazing or beautiful frog, they will want to try to draw for you something more. ”Look at this! Wait till you see the big alligator!” When grace is given to a frog that may look like a turtle, that grace inspires faith and belief to try something more, to risk and step out and be brave. 

The God of all grace...will make you perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 1 Peter 5:10

God’s grace strengthens you and increases security in you, so you can step out and be brave, walking out your life of obedience and following Jesus. When listening to Holy Spirit in our daily lives, we hear through the Word of God and from members of the body of Christ, deposits of grace and encouragement. These deposits of grace cheer our soul and strengthen our resolve to step out and risk. We are built up to share our story with others and to resist temptations because of the staying power of grace. Can I challenge you to dispense some grace on someone who is coloring today,  someone you come across who is trying their best to honor God and love. Encourage them with a word of grace and belief. See if they don’t respond with greater bravery and confidence. From one artist to another, we all want to hear how good our frog looks.